College Isn’t ALL That: Dealing with College Stress

September, October, November, and December. Months that seem regular to everyone—except Seniors and juniors, of course. With those months comes college application season. Seniors need to focus on getting them done, and juniors need to focus on getting ready for them. Awards, extracurriculars, keeping on top of grades, and having to balance family and social life on top of it? It seems like a recipe for pure disaster. But it doesn’t have to be! Join me as I go over what really causes college stress, and how to cope properly so that you can enjoy your final years of high school!

Common Stressors for College

1. “I won’t get into any colleges!”

We’ve all had the thought before. The fear that you won’t get into any colleges, either because of yield protection or because you aren’t “competitive” enough. Or maybe, by a stroke of bad luck, the two will combine and you’ll just be left with no college to attend! Unlikely to happen, but the thought is still there..

2. Not getting into prestigious colleges really sucks

School culture can make college results feel more like a death sentence rather than something that’s celebrated. The idea of not getting into Stanford, MIT, UPenn, UC Berkeley, or any other highly-regarded university is a big demotivator and stressor for both juniors and seniors.

3. “Wait, applications are due in a month?!”

Procrastinators: this is your sign to get on those applications. Creating accounts for the UC portal, the Common App, the CSU portal, filling out all the information for the general admission and for specific colleges, getting ready for Early Action or Early Decision, having to write essays upon essays, supplementals upon supplementals—all of it is too much to do in a semester, especially for students who have extracurriculars and other circumstances that prevent the time they have at home to be used for applications.

4. Paying an arm and a leg just to send your application

Money. Need I say more? Applications themselves already add hundreds to the total cost of going to college—applying to all the UCs costs around $500. Not even the FAFSA can take that back, making the financial strain a huge burden on underprivileged students.

Coping Strategies

1. Educate yourself on the typical attendees of the colleges you are applying to

Knowing the typical person who gets admitted into your target schools can be a big stress reliever. Look at the typical application of the students who go to the college you want, which can really help you plan your application in terms of formatting, the activities you want to emphasize, etc.

2. Fee Waivers

Apply for fee waivers at your schools! Many schools, depending on certain requirements, allow students to apply to colleges using fee waivers, which help take some of the financial burden away. Fee waivers allow you to apply to certain colleges for free, which can save off hundreds of dollars down the drain.

3. Time Management

Set schedules! Use a Google spreadsheet, a calendar, or any other time management app to help you keep track of college deadlines, to plan when certain drafts should be done, to track scholarship due dates, etc.

4. Talk to your school counselors/teachers

Teachers and counselors are there to help! Talk to the people available to you, discuss realistic college goals, and talk about what’s stressing you out—they’re here to make sure your application process is as painless and as stress-free as possible.

-Ramneet Sidhu